Crafting Art

I need to say something about my art. Although I have always liked enhancing and decorating, I only started creating art during the pandemic. It is hard to get started learning a new skill, especially on your own.  I picked a flower from my garden and made a picture with colored pencils. Then I tried using some old acrylics and inks left over from my son's college art class. I bought some cheap brushes and watercolors and experimented.  I didn't know what I was doing, but bit by bit I learned some basic skills and filled a bulletin board with sketches. 

When I moved to Africa, I found a whole knew range of flora to study and paint. My art just didn't look as good as the real thing and I decided I needed some advice on what art supplies to buy and help with some watercolor techniques.  Most of my progress came from trial and error, rather than taking art classes. The real motivation for me was when the finished painting gave me the same joy as its botanical inspiration.  We all enjoy finding that perfect rose in a garden; then we bring roses in to enjoy their beauty for longer. The way I see it, if I can capture the beauty in a painting, then I am preserving it for endless enjoyment. 

A friend suggested I make some cards and that led me to transfer my art to the iPad. Digitally I could reproduce my ideas and create professionally looking cards and calendars. My husband pointed out that AI could do the same thing, but I persevered with my Apple Pencil as a way of putting what I had learned into practice. 

Only recently have I started watching videos of artists showing their work on social media. There is one lady I like in particular: she is quirky and keeps it quick and simple. She splatters paint and uses bold brush strokes, jokes about her mistakes and produces adorable holiday cards and postcards. More than anything she communicates to her viewer that anybody can easily do the same.  Of course I would need some more materials and luckily this woman sells all sorts of craft and art supplies. As I was putting some masking tape, note cards and colored pencils in my online basket I realized that I was hooked on watching carefully prepared how-to art videos that were essentially ads.  It is easier to buy art materials than it is to produce satisfying art.

In one of these online videos, my quirky artist displayed her studio/workshop. I noticed the wall full of less than perfect sketches and unfinished ideas. This made me feel better about my process. When I decide to paint a new botanical, I spend days sketching and researching, making small trials and displaying them for critique. I try different backgrounds and concentrate on small details until it starts to look real. I suspect that my online teacher did the same, trying out her ideas several different ways before deciding on the best and quickest way to get views and sell products. Although the videos make it look like she has just dreamed up a cute idea on the spot, joked about being unprepared and encouraged everyone to go with the creative flow... that is probably far from the reality.  I have tried to create some of her ideas but my hastily drawn bunnies and mushrooms didn't look nearly as cute. Maybe I just need to buy her materials..?

I thought of joining a crafting group who meet weekly to craft, which I am not sure includes what I do. I haven't brought myself to show up, because I keep imagining myself setting up my paints and being too scared to start on a fresh piece of white paper. With people watching me, I am sure I will mess up and people with judge my art. They will wonder how I produced my polished pieces that were posted on my media account. Truth is, I don't think I can sit down for a couple of hours in a social setting and produce something beautiful. But if you can't beat them, join them: buy the colored pencils and the felt tip pens, start filling in a small notebook with easy doodles. That is what I will try, in order to be social and spend time with other creative people. I can't imagine the great masters met and shared tips with their peers at the Royal Academy, but then I am not a great master. 

우도 Cow Island

 

More than one person recommended Udo Island for a visit during our school break. September weather here is beautiful: still hot and sunny with a fresh sea breeze. It isn't a far car drive to Seongsan and from there it is a 15 minute ferry ride. We set off with enthusiasm for a day exploring what literally translates as 'cow island'. Being small in size, the island doesn't allow tourists to drive rental cars there, and most people use the ferry port carpark and walk on. We planned to take our car over, but there was no clear sign allowing us to drive on. We drove around the carpark and then exited. Someone asked us for a ticket using the universal sign language of making a rectangular shape with their fingers. We managed to communicate that we had no ticket and were pointed towards a white building in the carpark we just left.

So we drove around and back in, parked the car and walked around looking for a ticket office. Inside we had to fill out 4 forms and prove that we owned our car. Then we were handed a brochure for 'The Mysterious Island' with a ferry timetable that was crossed out in red pen. 

With no scheduled departure time, we simply followed some other cars to a ferry and waited. Then I watched in horror as they began boarding cars by asking them to reverse onto the ferry. Now I am aware, and confused, by the Korean obsession with backing into parking spaces. It seems unnecessarily difficult and I am not very good at it. But to load a ferry full of vehicles in reverse just seems like you are asking for trouble. Fortunately Jon was driving and did his best. At one point the attendant put his arm inside our car, took hold of the steering wheel and guided us into a tight spot. 

As soon as we were out of port we went out on deck to get a good look at this mysterious island. It is supposed to look like a cow lying down in the water, but I just couldn't make it out. The brochure explained the mystery by pointing out the eight great sights hidden on this tiny island.  We never were able to locate the sights with confidence as I believe some are either underwater, or only accessible by private boat. We did enjoy the seagulls following the ferry and grabbing chips out of peoples hands or diving down to pick them out of the air. 

We had not yet had coffee, so we stopped at the first cafe we saw.  The parking spots outside were all taken by small pink covered scooters with bunny ears. These were everywhere, along side 4 seater pedal and electric bikes. Tourists had many options when it came to getting around.  I also noticed some waiting for the bus. I briefly looked for shells on the white beach and was surprised not to find any.  I later found that this beach is made up entirely of red algae casings which are quite rare, and protected. 

Udo Island is famous for its freshly homemade peanut ice cream, and encourages visitors to stop at the many beachside shops to sample it. However, we found most places crowded, with no parking.  We kept on driving round the island thinking we would find a less busy place, but wound up back at the ferry terminal. So we missed a chance to eat, but we never passed up a chance to get out of the car and walk along the rocky shore line and appreciate the views of Jeju's Hallasan mountain and all the oreums dotted about. 

I was able to unravel one mystery of the island after some research online. One coastal path took us around the back of a property with onion shaped domes and Greek statues on top of columns.  This turned out to be a theme park called Hundert Wasser Park.  Friedrich Stowasser, better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser, was an Austrian visual artist, architect and activist. Hundertwasser stood out as an opponent of "a straight line", expressing this concept in the field of building design, which explains the unusual park buildings. This park doesn't have rides, but just art exhibitions. I'm not sure how many paying visitors it gets a year, but it is another option for those who don't want to climb up to the light house.  Next time I visit I will definitely leave the car behind, rent a bunny-eared scooter, stop for peanut ice cream and coffee often, and visit Hundertwasser Park. Who knew there was enough on this small Cow Island for more than one visit.

It is all about the photo!

 

This may not be news to you, but I have become bombarded by the amateur photographers. I cannot go to the beach without coming across newlyweds in the middle of a photo shoot. The camera or phone is set up with a tripod, there are costume changes and absolutely no concern for what anyone else thinks of them taking over a very public place. The rental cars drive up and unload fashionably dressed passengers to pose in a field of flowers strategically planted in front of a rocky mountain. When I wandered in, not at all prepared to be photographed, I was charged ₩2000 to use the flower field. That field bloomed and then was plowed over in less than 2 weeks... it was only there for tourists as part of their fall package to Jeju. 

A friend told me of another garden with pink muhly grass that provides a cotton candy backdrop for, yes, you guessed it, photographs. The garden also advertises other shows throughout the year: tangerines in October, camellias in winter, canola and plum trees in spring, then hydrangea in summer. That is a lot of opportunities to pose and whichever season of the year you visit Jeju in, there is a beautiful backdrop.  So the buses roll up and people wait in line for their turn to pose. An added bonus are the props, 'I ♡Jeju' signs and sweet framed arbors that direct you where to pose. These photo ops are too precious to waste on a simple selfie, and there are many that will offer to help you take your photo properly. 

Of course, the flowers are not the only possible backdrops on Jeju.  The island is full of beautiful coastal viewpoints, mountains and lava formations. Our recent road trip took us round the island where we stopped along the way to admire the beaches, crashing waves, volcanic oreums and craters. At each stop we were joined by other tourists wearing their best clothes and immediately posing for the camera. What surprised me was not that the picture was the purpose of their trip; we all fall into that trap knowing that photos with people get more likes; but that Jeju has totally owned the fact. Flowering plants are grown right in front of the mountain to enhance the shot.  Platforms are built to provide a safe place to pose over the crashing waves; steps and walkways lead out to the best view point; and spots are marked with a 📷 or with a X to stand on. They are making it easy for you to take that perfect shot. 

However, as I puffed and panted to climb up to a lighthouse I questioned my motivation. Was I doing this just to get the picture at the top? And so I had a few realizations:

• the view from the spot was exhilarating and could not be captured in a photo. Reaching the top, catching my breath and feeling the wind threaten to blow me off the cliff was exciting, but a shot of what lay beneath me would not hold any of the depth, dimension or emotion. 
• natural beauty does not make people naturally curious. Following the sign and the crowds led to some unique buildings erected that, at first sight, seemed to enhance the travel experience but turned out to be follies. One was a Gingerbread House that was once used in a K-drama film and now is abandoned; the other is a theme park inspired by the Austrian Hundertwasser. Most of the tourists walked by these oddities and focused on taking pictures of Seongsan mountain.
  
• we gain little from travel if our aim is to simply post online for likes. One woman sat with a book open, apparently reading, on a wall above a beautiful white beach. I watched as she filmed herself reading in that idyllic spot. Another group of bikers posed for a drone on the same beach. I do not doubt that their posts were eye catching and produced influential images. However, I do doubt that they were aware that they were on a rare beach made of red algae nodules. These carbonate structures make this a protected place and a national monument. 

I like taking pictures... I like the artistic element involved in capturing the beauty I encounter. I now know that some people like to take pictures more than I do. Most of my pictures are never printed out or preserved. Maybe that is the attraction of the photo booth, we have something tangible to record our time and experiences. I watched a young couple approach an outside photo 'booth' at the Wolgeongi beach in matching soccer jerseys. They then pulled out a bridal veil and bouquet to pose before the camera. When they were satisfied with the shot, they printed out the photos to take with them. Congratulations!

Galot & Gam Galore 옷

 

The newness of the thousands of tangerine trees on Jeju is starting to wear off. They fill the fields and gardens and they are literally everywhere. I found a few pomegranate trees in the landscaped borders of the public streets that were not exactly thriving; and then I found the persimmons! Their bright yellow stood out like plump tomatoes with crowns. I surreptitiously picked a branch to take home and paint. Each fruit stem is so short they appear to be stuck directly on the branch.  In Korean they are 'gam' and on Jeju they are associated with 'galot' which literally translates to 'persimmon dyed clothes'.  This Jeju tradition of using unripe persimmons to dye cloth was used for the work clothes of farmers, fishermen and divers. The starchy dye claims to make cloth more durable, water and UV resistant, as well as repelling insects. Fishermen found that if they dyed their lines with persimmon, they lasted longer and were less likely to break. 

Well, sounds perfect... where could I get some? I found a store nearby which advertised some modern products such as hats and scarves made of the dyed cloth. I knew I couldn't persuade Jon to go with me unless there was a scenic walk or trail nearby, so we headed for the Yongmeori Tuff coast.  The Geo trail turned out to be closed due to high waves, which a polite man in the visitor center explained was quite normal these days due to rising sea levels. He asked us to phone before coming next time. But since my primary objective was the clothing store, I wasn't too disappointed. 

We found all the usual keychains and tangerine themed gifts, but there was also a beautiful collection of modern clothes made out of naturally dyed fabrics. The persimmon dye shows a traditional orangey range of earth tones, but it might be mixed with indigo blue for a tie-dye effect. Seaweed created a taupe and there was a darker olive green that I believe to be onion. I had already set my sights on buying a sun hat. If the dye did as it claimed, it would be the perfect hat to protect me from sun, rain and mosquitos. The vendor warned me not to machine wash it, and I think this must mean the dye would wash out?  I hope that doesn't mean it can't be worn in the rain... or will my sweating create a persimmon dyed head?  I was willing to risk it. 

On our way out I noticed the vendor returning to her sewing project behind the counter. She was using scraps of the dyed cloth to make small flowers... rather than letting them go to waste. This is another Korean tradition, that of Jogakbo 조각보.   It is rooted in zero-waste and minimalist resourcefulness since long ago, when scraps of clothing were sewn together to make a patchwork wrapping cloth. It has now reached an art form, creating everything from slippers to wall art. 

I love the way beauty can be woven into natural materials and conservation.   옷 = clothes in Korean

Just Right for Exploring

It's the weekend and Jon suggests we drive and find a nice place to have coffee. We settle on a Starbucks that looks out on a white sandy beach to an island off coast.  A man enters and motions towards the chair next to us. We indicate that it is free and he settles down with a children bucket, the kind used to make sand castles.  He is totally absorbed in its contents and I can't help but be curious as to what he has caught, and why he has decided to bring it in for coffee. 

As we head out along the beach path, we notice most visitors choosing to explore the tide pools, rather than lie in the sand.  This is an active beach. Workers are taking down sun shades and pulling up stakes. The life guard is blowing his whistle, keeping everyone
safe.  The loud speaker and posted signs warn of strong wind and currents. This is the last day of the season and the summer holidays are drawing to a close.  But we are drawn to the water, watching the waves crash over the black rock and create clear pools on the white sand. The sky is brilliant blue one minute and then stormy the next. The wind blows the fine sand everywhere and also turns the giant wind turbines located just off shore. It is a major producer of energy on Jeju but also blows down trees and bends the bamboo nearly double.  Just as the black volcanic rock is used to build walls around the farms, so it used to farm the sea.  We can see some of Jeju's traditional stone tidal traps where fish are caught with bare hands. The shore line is quite shallow here, but today only a heron wades in the lagoon like waters.  Apart from the gigantic washed up jellyfish, dangers include reported sinkholes that act like sand traps and pull swimmer down.  I don't need a translation app to tell me that 수영 금지 means 'No Swimming'. But in my opinion this beach is worth a visit even if you are not swimming.

Jon and I have not been on Jeju long enough to have our favorite spots, there is still so much we haven't seen and we are still working our way up the west coast.  We try to keep to the blue line painted on the side of the road.  This denotes the Olle trails which are marked for hikers to see the island.  And whenever we see something spectacular or unusual, we stop. Sometimes there is no obvious parking, but usually we see other cars parked in the weedy verge.  Jeju is just the right size to have plenty of new places to explore without being too big to be overwhelming to the newcomer. 

In this case we passed a town we had been to before,
but this time we ignored the navigation app's directions to go home and came upon some new stores, a full service gas station to fill up our tank for the first time, and something calling itself an UNESCO Global Geopark.  Although there was no parking, and the visitor's center had long since been closed, we found some posted information as to the formation of Suweolbong peak. According to geologist a very old volcano sunk creating a ring of islands and a shallow lagoon. From the look out post on the top you can just see the ring made up of small islands and a wall of cliffs along the shore. According to legend a brother and sister climbed the cliffs to pick a medicinal herb that only grows there for their
sick mother.

Suwol slipped and fell to her death while her brother shed tears that formed the waterfalls.  I have only explored the southwest of the island, but I am finding this to be a common story of tragic death and shed tears around these parts. 

Fortunately it is both easy to buy or rent a car on Jeju, and difficult to get lost. The main mountain, Hallasan,  will always tower above in the clouds, and its slopes all end at the sea.  There are few straight highways, but you can always enjoy a ride with no fixed destination down country lanes flanked by black stone walls and farmers fields, or wind your way up the coast stopping to wonder... while braving the wind off the sea and sand.  

Eating in Hanguk 한국

 

We arrived in Korea and needed to eat. Apart from the instant ramen noodles in our apartment, we also had a Starbucks nearby. On the way home we spied a restaurant with a sign in English: 'Green Bowl'.  After figuring out how to enter, pushing a button to activate the sliding door, we were faced with an ordering screen. Fortunately there was an English language option and we were able to order a salad and an Acai bowl, using a US credit card to pay.  We sat down and were immediately served water in a jug with small cups. Later our food was brought to our table and we enjoyed the fresh ingredients. On leaving we were approached and signaled  to bus our own table. Message received. 

It continued to be easier to eat out than cook at home, and so we visited several local establishments. Most served American food like pizza and pancakes, but we felt we were missing something authentic.  Friends introduced us to a Japanese restaurant with a limited menu of sushi and noodles. The second time we visited we found them closed (another characteristic of Jeju restaurants who do not adhere to opening times).  The third visit allowed us inside to order blind on a menu that was mostly foreign to us. At one point we were served a beautiful plate of salmon sushi that we had not ordered. Nice, but was the chef trying to use up fresh ingredients before closing?  Another restaurant we were recommended simply posted the sign " Out of ingredients" and kept their doors closed.  Sometimes its was a case of which restaurant was open.  

So we realized we needed to start cooking at home. I found it impossible to find the usual ingredients to cook our usual meals, mainly because of the lack of meat and basic western ingredients in the grocery stores. I am now realizing that some of those ingredients were in the stores, but I couldn't find them, or read the labels. 

I noticed an absence of canned goods in the grocery store. Tuna is sold in a can, but the huge variety of flavors and types confused me. I accidentally bought tuna with truffle, and another with mayo.  Pasta was mainly noodles, and I only found huge sacks of small grained rice.  Contrary to the advice we got before arriving in Korea, there is cheese and bread in the supermarket, but in smaller quantities.  I was amazed at the whole aisles of miso, or soya bean paste, in different flavors, and the quantities of seafood.  Jeju is known for its tangerine harvest, so there is no small amounts of tangerines and tangerine flavored sweets available to buy.  I took full advantage of all the fresh fruits and vegetables, looking forward to a healthier diet. We still haven't been able to get our gas oven to work properly, so there is no baking for the time being.  Also we haven't been able to down load the apps needed for food delivery... so no fast food yet.

I do have to laugh at some of my first cooking

attempts here in Korea. I burnt the rice, produced chewy meat and tasteless noodles, and served salad without dressing.  After seeing that burnt rice is a traditional dish here, and you buy it in the stores, I laugh at my dishes and try again.  

Jon felt that we should be more adventurous when dining out - or he was tired of my cooking - and found a place nearby that advertised Chinese noodles. We never found that restaurant, but were lured into another by the fact that it had parking.  It was called 'Chef Chang' and turned out to be Korean food. They did have an English menu online, but the limited items were mainly marine turban snails in soup or porridge.  But there was unlimited portions of rice from the rice cooker.. 

Fortunately there are some restaurants nearby that cater for foreigners but still include Korean ingredients. We enjoyed the lotus root served with the beef stir fry, the local beer and soju.  Soju is a alcoholic beverage that we see everywhere, a clear liquid in a bottle that I at first mistook for flavored water. It is very cheap, sold for about $1.50. It is in fact a distilled alcohol up to 40% proof. 

The local tea plantation sells delicious tangerine tea and matcha chocolates. And another find was a new restaurant that sold Korean halibut served up as British fish and chips.  And they even had knives and forks on the table.  Most Korean restaurants hide the chopsticks away in a hidden drawer, or under the counter. It is always an interesting way to start a meal by playing hide and seek for the cutlery. 

Dark Tourism & Songaksan

 It was a beautiful day to explore the southern coast of Jeju and Songaksan Mountain. The typhoon had passed us by and the sun was out. Having heard the the Olle trail was more of a walk and less of a hike, we set out at the hottest part of the day. From the parking lot you can see the promontory jutting out into the East China Sea. Songaksan is a very old volcano with a crater containing an inner peak caused by a later eruption. The trail, which is really a walkway with lots of stairs, follows the outer edge of the crater, above the cliffs of what looks like layers of sandstone.

There are caves carved into the cliffs and further up we came across what looked like bunkers or the openings to tunnels. Reading the sign we found that these were the work of the Imperial Japanese Army during WW2.  The bigger caves housed military gear, weapons and suicide torpedo boats. The smaller tunnels which connected them form an underground hideout from the Allied forces. Of course, they now are no longer safe to enter. 

I hear that the highest peak in the center of the crater is no longer open either, due to erosion, but we are happy to stay on the lower path. The day has turned out to be very hot and humid, and the trail more of a hike. Even the sea breeze doesn't help, and we wished we had brought more water. I stop to examine a cactus, (and catch my breath) and wonder at the light colored rock that makes the dramatic cliffs. If it is sandstone, how is it withstanding the buffeting waves? I start to worry if the path we are on is actually unsafe, liable to crumble and take us down with it. Being a volcanic island, Jeju is made up almost entirely of black basalt.

But Songaksan is actually an older volcano that erupted many times over a long period of time. The basaltic tuff, or ash, settled in layers that resemble sandstone, but is not as soft. Nice to know.

As we continued round the crater, we could look out on a couple of small flat islands that claim to be the most southern parts of Korea. Some tourists take boat rides out there, but there is not much to see, as legend has it a farmer burned down all the trees fearing an invasion of snakes. This made sense to me, after seeing endless signs warning of the creatures, and coming face to face with a four foot snake at the entrance to my residence. 

We were thankful of the shade as the path continued through a forest of pine. A few horses were grazing nearby and I have seen several references to wild horses and the island of Jeju. Apparently the Mongol empire first started breeding horses here during the 13th century, and now they are a recognized breed protected as cultural property, and each pedigree is recorded.  Even the famous Olle trail symbol is shaped like a pony, although I believe that is more in reference to the slow leisurely walk of the pony. 

As we complete the circular path around Songaksan and head toward the nearby shops for cool drinks and popsicles, I notice again the marker for a Dark Tourism site.  The sign describes this as a place connected with death, disaster, or great sadness. And even if it is true that people visit this place to learn about history and remember the past, I doubt that was the aim of most tourists I see around me.

 Here we enjoy watching the dolphins and crashing waves along the dramatic coast; we walk along the cliffs and beaches then enjoy the seafood; some swim and others walk the Olle trails.  Is it wrong to ignore the darker side of tourism? Probably, but I like to learn what I can while enjoying the natural beauty of the place. Fortunately Jeju allows me to do it all.  

However, I suggest a going when the weather is cooler...